1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for manufacturing ice. More particularly, the present invention relates to a unique construction for a water distribution and cleaning system for use in the apparatus for manufacturing ice and a method for cleaning an evaporator assembly thereof.
2. Discussion
Automatic ice making machines are commonplace. These ice making machines are found in food and drink service establishments, hotels, motels, sports arenas and various other places where large quantities of ice are needed on a continuous basis. Some of these ice making machines produce flaked ice while others produce ice shaped in a variety of configurations which are generally referred to as cubes. The present invention relates to an ice making machine that produces ice which is shaped in one of these various configurations or cubes.
Automatic ice manufacturing machines generally include a refrigeration system having a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator; a series of individual ice forming locations which may or may not be referred to as pockets; and a water supply system. In a typical ice manufacturing machine the evaporator section of the refrigeration system is connected to the series of individual ice forming locations so that these individual ice forming locations are directly cooled by the refrigeration system. Water may either be supplied to fill these ice forming locations if they are in the form of a series of pockets or water may be supplied to these ice forming locations by having the water trickle over or be sprayed onto the individual ice forming locations. The run-off of this trickled or sprayed water is usually recirculated within the water supply. The trickling or spraying methods of supplying water is normally preferred because these methods will produce clear ice while the static filled pockets method generally will produce white ice.
Automatic ice making machines are normally controlled by the level of supply of the ice in the storage portion of the ice making machine. When the supply of ice in the storage portion is insufficient, automatic controls cycle the ice making machine through ice production and ice harvest modes to supplement the supply of ice in the storage portion. In the production mode, the refrigeration system operates in a normal manner such that expanding refrigerant in the evaporator removes heat from the series of ice forming locations, freezing the water to form an ever growing layer of ice. When the ice thickness reaches a predetermined condition or a specified time period has elapsed, the ice making machine switches to harvest mode. Typically, the harvest mode involves a valve change which directs hot refrigerant gasses to the evaporator. The ice forming locations are heated by the hot refrigerant gases until the ice in contact with the evaporator begins to thaw. Normally some type of mechanism ensures that a vacuum is not formed between the individual ice pieces and the evaporator which normally involves the introduction of air between the individual ice pieces and the evaporator surface. Once the ice eventually falls from the evaporator, the valving on the refrigeration system is changed back to its original configuration, the production mode, and thus the cycle begins again. The ice making machine continues to cycle between the production mode and the harvest mode until some type of sensing system in the storage portion signals the refrigeration system to pause. Thereafter, when the cleaning cycle is desired, it may be manually initiated.
Current automatic ice making machines utilize a cleaning method where only a portion of the cleaning solution passes down the interior and exterior of the evaporator. Such cleaning methods allow for only a portion of the cleaning solution to be delivered to all of the surfaces of the evaporator. These cleaning methods supply cleaning solution at a relatively low pressure and velocity, thereby decreasing the cleaning capabilities of the system. For example, the cleaning system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,837 applies cleaning fluid to the vertical ice forming channels of an ice forming plate and to a space behind the plate, but does not apply the cleaning fluid to partitions that form the sides of the ice forming channels. Automatic ice making machines utilizing such cleaning methods have performed satisfactorily but they are relatively inefficient.
Moreover, some current automatic ice making machines utilize a microprocessor or controller which is required to perform all the necessary functions for the ice making and cleaning cycles, plus those associated with the refrigeration system that supplies cooling and heating. Such systems require numerous manual operations which decreases the efficiency of the system. Additionally, the maintenance expense relative to these types of systems is rather costly.
In order to overcome the problems associated with automatic ice making machines wherein only a portion of the cleaning solution passes down the interior and exterior of the evaporator, and requiring numerous manual controller operations, various designs of water distribution and cleaning systems have been developed. The continued development of such water distribution and cleaning systems has been directed to designs which simplify the manufacturing process and the assembly of the systems while keeping costs at a minimum and overall performance efficiency at a maximum.